Outcasts
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Summary: It's that time of year again! Welcome to the 25th Hunger Games! This is an SYOT; the tribute form is on my profile. PM me to register a tribute - don't put it in a review! 14 tributes are currently available. Rated T. All cussing will be censored. Working on the D2 reaping! Please review - I'd love to know what you think of the story so far!
1. Capitol's Hunger Games Announcement

It's that time of year again! The 25th annual Hunger Games will be taking place in just two weeks! Being the First Quarter Quell, these Games will include a special twist to add to the fun. President Coriolanus Snow announced this twist before the 24th annual Victory Tour – each district will be made to vote on which two tributes to send. Listed below are some helpful resources regarding these Games. Remember to tune in to Channel Seven on Thursday, June 21 to watch the First Quarter Quell live!

NOTE: The Sponsor Tables have been moved to the second floor of the Department of Communication and will not be open until Thursday, June 21. For the first time, gifts will increase in price as the Games go on. To begin, one loaf of district bread will cost one coin, one half-gallon of water two coins, and one iron sword three coins. Various other gifts are available. Also for the first time, sponsoring will be private. One sponsor will be allowed in a room at a time. Make sure to bring your Capitol Citizen card.

Tribute Betting: Every day at 4 p.m. in the City Circle, ending Wednesday, June 20.

Tickets to Chariot Rides: Available outside the Grand Justice Building at the first table. Twenty-five coins per person. Children under twelve free. 350 tickets will be sold.

Tickets to Tribute Interviews: Available outside the Grand Justice Building at the second table. Thirty coins per person. Children under twelve free. 450 tickets will be sold.

Tune in to Channel Ten to watch recorded events, including President Snow's announcement, the reapings, the chariot rides, the tribute interviews, and various other important events in the Games. Events will be added as they happen.

Best wishes,

Augustus Hopkins

Head Gamemaker of the Hunger Games


	2. D1 Reaping, Part I

Chalcedony Griffith, 15

 _Stab, stab, dodge, repeat._ Chalcedony sparred with an imaginary enemy for a few moments before dropping the stick and moving on. The houses in this part of the district were _so_ far apart. It was killing Cal's legs, and apparently Olivia's too.

"Ugh, why do people have to build things like this? There's, like, three yards between each house! I wish I hadn't worn these new heels. All this walking is going to _murder_ my feet! This is worse than when we visited that apartment complex with six floors and no elevator. At least it wasn't muddy there. I wish... oh, we're here."

Cal grinned. All of Olivia's talking made it really easy to ignore the walking. Olivia usually didn't talk this much – that was Ruby's job. But Ruby was out shopping with her younger sisters right now, so Cal figured Olivia was trying to fill the huge, silent gap. The grin faded at this thought. Ruby and Cal had been best friends for as long as either could remember, and Ruby had a really good memory, but now they seemed to be growing apart. Cal hated to leave without setting that right, but there was nothing she could do about it. Something occurred to her: When she got back, Ruby would have no choice but to be her friend again! Cal's heart lifted, and she mounted the steps to the house, leaving muddy footprints on the white tiles. Before she even knocked, the door was opened by a man who looked a bit like his house: tall, thin, and white. "How may I help you?" he asked stiffly.

Both girls put on their most winning smiles. "Good morning, sir," Cal piped. "My name is Chalcedony Griffith. As you probably know, this year is the First Quarter Quell. All the districts are going to vote on which tributes to send in, and I'd really appreciate it if you would vote for me?"

"Griffith? I suppose Lysander is your father?" he sniffed.

"Yes, sir," Cal said. He hesitated, but a bat of Cal's eyelashes won him over.

"You have my vote," he assured them.

"Thank you _so_ much!" Olivia gushed. The two rushed off to Cal's house to get cleaned up.

Cal's family sat in the dining room eating slightly stale rolls with a thin spreading of butter. "Oh, Chalcedony! You _had_ to go out in your good clothes! What have you been doing to get them so muddy?" her mother fussed.

"Relax, Mum. These are, um, my medium good clothes. We were just looking for more votes," Cal said.

"Yeah," Olivia added. "And we got four more!"

"Again? Chalcedony, I have _told_ you, this isn't a good idea. I can't have you running off to the Games and getting yourself killed," Cal's mother said.

"Oh, stop being a worrywart, Marion. It's what she wants! And of course she won't get herself killed. Just think, dear, a victor in the family!" said Cal's father. Cal nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm with Mum," Cyril, her younger brother, said. "You don't have any proper training, not like the tributes from Two will. I heard Four is starting an academy as well. I'm not anxious to watch my sister die."

Cal rolled her eyes. "Please! I _will_ be the victor. I bet I can even kill those butts from the academies!"

"Chalcedony Griffith! Language!" her mother snapped. "I can't stop you from going to the Capitol, but I won't have you swearing like a diamond miner while you're doing it!"

"My pa is a diamond miner, and _he_ never swears," Olivia muttered.

"But butt isn't even a swear word!" Cal complained.

"It is in my family," her mother said. Cal rolled her eyes again.

"So," said her father in an attempt to pick up the conversation, "how many votes did you say you got?"

"Four," Cal said. "And all from Topaz Avenue! If they vote for me, the whole district might!"

"You're crazy," Cyril muttered, but Cal ignored him. Cyril was used to that.

"I'm going to make breakfast," Cal announced. "What do you want, Olivia?"

"I ate earlier, thanks," Olivia said.

"Okay." Cal whipped out a knife, a jar of honey, and a loaf of bread and quickly had a slice of bread spread with really old honey. It still tasted okay, though. For some reason, honey never spoiled. The Capitol must have done something really weird to it, but no one really cared about that.

After breakfast, Olivia and Cal went upstairs. Olivia's family wasn't as wealthy as Cal's, and her reaping dress was way too small, so Cal lent her an older white dress. She dressed pretty simply – a gray blouse, black skirt, and black leather flats. This was what she called her medium-good good clothes. "Cal, are you sure you don't want to wear something nicer? You know, to make a good impression?" Olivia asked.

Cal scoffed. "This is comfy! I'd much rather be wearing this than something _un_ comfortable. You know how it is."

Olivia didn't, but she agreed anyway.

Many people were yawning at that morning's reaping. It was only nine in the morning, but it seemed much earlier. The voting had been half an hour ago, and the district was big. That was probably part of it.

From her place in the 15-year-old's enclosure, Cal could see her mother and Cyril shifting uncomfortably. Her father grinned every time she caught his eyes. Despite how far she'd come, Cal was super nervous. What if she didn't get enough votes? Or worse, what if she did and someone volunteered? Were volunteers even allowed this year? Could she say she didn't want anyone to volunteer? Or would she stay here and have to wait another year and volunteer next year? What if her family talked her out of her dream? What if she would never be Ruby's friend again? What if, what if, what if?

She forced herself to take a deep breath. _Calm down, Cal._ This was why she always wanted to be doing something – she overthought things if she wasn't. To take her mind off of it, she leaned against the rope and tried to get a bit off dried mud off of her shoe. She stood like that for what felt like an eternity. The mud wouldn't come off. She was hardly paying attention during the escort's speech and the reading of the Treaty of Treason. "They should put that at the end," she heard someone say.

Finally the time came, and it was everything she'd ever dreamed. The escort picked up a lone slip of paper from a table to the right of the podium and grinned.

"Well, the choice was nearly unanimous! Would Chalcedony Griffith please come up?" she squeaked.

Cal raced to the stage and climbed the steps as fast as she could, all smiles. She grinned at Olivia, whose face was shining with pride. At Ruby, who gave her a little smile. At her parents, whose reactions differed greatly. Her father was grinning back at her, and her mother's face was sad with a hint of disapproval. And at Cyril. They'd never been particularly good friends, but she saw now how much he loved her. Even from here, she could see the tears in his eyes. She saw how, when she looked at him, he shook his head in total disbelief.


	3. D1 Reaping, Part II

Majesty Northhaven, 18

"Maj." A whimper brings Majesty from a dreamless sleep. He groans and buries his face in the soft pillow.

"Whaddya want, you little b–"

"Maj, it's really stormy out. I'm scared," Trinity complains. Majesty shoves her away.

"Nothin' I can do 'bout it. Go see Ma," he mumbles.

Trinity considers this, then says, "Why do you always sleep in the daytime? You're supposed to sleep at night."

"'Cause I'm out at night, stupid. Why do ya think?"

"Oh." Majesty's sister sounds a bit relieved, but before he can say anything else, she runs off to find their mother. Majesty lays there for a few more moments. He really shouldn't have been at a party last night – District One had the first reaping of the day, at nine in the morning. It had been worth it, though. Most of Shina's squad had been there.

Finally, he gets up, groaning again. No point in staying in bed if the Peacekeepers are going to arrest you for it. It's lucky he'd had a bit of foresight at the party and hadn't had too much to drink. It hadn't been as fun, but he isn't drunk at the moment, even if he is really tired. Probably wouldn't be good if he is reaped and totally drunk. Oh, yeah. No one is being reaped this year - it's the Quarter Quell. Everyone's going to vote. The thing that's horrible about it? Trinity's only nine, and Majesty's still, in the Capitol's eyes, a child. If the Quell had been in three years, he could have voted for her. The thought brings a smile to his face.

He leaves the room without getting dressed. His mother is making breakfast in the fancy kitchen, and it smells something like apples. This barely registers with Majesty, though. "Morning, Lori," he says to his aunt. No one bothers to call her Aunt – she's just Lori, even to Trinity.

"How were the girls?" She says it bluntly, but Majesty knows she's joking.

"And how many? Was your girlfriend there?" Cherish asks in the same tone. Around the district, they're known as the Formidable Northhavens – Cherish and Majesty. Their only differences are age and gender.

"Shina herself wasn't there. Her friends were. Five of them," Majesty tells Cherish. "They were great, Lori. What's for breakfast?"

"Apple pie," his ma says. Lori and Cherish tense, waiting. Majesty loves them, but he doesn't want to give them the satisfaction. And yet he can't resist.

"Ma, Lori's a _victor_! We could have anything for breakfast! But do we? No! We have apple pie instead! Apple pie every f****** day!" he shouts. "For once can-"

"Majesty! You will _not_ talk to your ma that way and you will _not_ say that word in front of Trinity! If you do not want apple pie, you can have last night's cabbage stew!" Ma snaps, glaring. Everyone sits in stunned silence for a moment – Ma _never_ snaps. That's Lori, Cherish, and Majesty's job. Ma goes back to her apple pie and Trinity, sweet, polite, and fairly oblivious as usual, brings Majesty a serving of day-old cabbage stew that he doesn't eat.

"You should say sorry to Ma," she whispers loudly. Majesty shoves her away. Like she has eyes in the back of her head, Ma sighs.

"Majesty, I want what's best for you and your sisters. I can't-" she starts. Majesty cuts her off.

"Save it, Ma. I'll be in my room," he growls. He stomps up the stairs, aware of the reaping – or voting – only ten minutes away. Sitting on his bed, waiting for him, is one of the prettiest girls in the district, Shina Blue.

"Hey, sexy," she purrs. "I missed you last night. Where were you?"

"Topaz Dedka's party. Thought you were coming. Where were you, and how'd you get in here?" he says.

"I was at Vanessa Rogue's place. I invited you last week," she says.

"I don't remember. May have been drunk. Did I leave the window open?" he asks.

"Yeah. You've got some nice climbing vines on that wall," she explains, pulling off her shirt. "Is it hot in here or what?"

"Yeah," he replies, even though it's not. He's not very good at lying, just like Shina. She couldn't climb a wall to save her life. He's got a new blonde on his arm every other second. _Who can't lie?_

Majesty tosses her a new outfit from his dresser – underclothes and a skimpy red dress. For himself, he picks out some black trousers and a white button-up shirt.

"How did you get these?" Shina demands. "And when?"

"Last time I spent the night with you. I took them from your closet on the way out," he says. Both dress quickly. Shina puts her other clothes in Majesty's dresser.

"For next time," she says with a wink. They share a quick kiss before Majesty helps her out the window.

Ma's calmed down and is back to her usual quiet self when Majesty comes out. Everyone's dressed up and ready to go, except Lori. She's in a simple shirt and loose pants. "They don't like me because I'm not the girly, pretty victor. They'll never like me. So why should I try to please them?" she says. She'll be a mentor for the twenty-second time this year. In the Capitol, she's equally revered and despised – she was the first female victor. Like she says, she's not the "girly, pretty victor" that they like. A few people in the Capitol are pretty bad, but in Majesty's view, they're wonderful. They feed, clothe, and support the districts. Majesty hates the Games as much as the next guy, but the rewards if you win!

The reaping, as expected, goes by in a snap. Majesty recognizes the girl – she had gone door to door asking for votes. Lori had laughed in her face when she'd heard the request. "Honey, you'd better hope you don't get voted in. Being in the Games? If you win, yeah, you get a new place. But killing innocent people costs everything you are," she'd scolded before slamming the door in the girl's face.

Majesty's just now realizing just how hot Chalcedony is. Sure, she's three years younger than him, but what does that matter? If she's hot, she's hot. Too bad the next time he saw her in person would be at her funeral. He mutters something about it to Topaz Dedka, one of his peers. Topaz nodded enthusiastically, then scooted away.

Majesty shouldn't have jinxed it like that. The second Topaz turns away, the escort, wearing a pair of pink-and-purple cat ears, picks up a piece of paper and raises her large pink eyebrows.

"Oh, look at that! Another unanimous decision. All but one of District One's adult population have voted for Majesty Northhaven!" she titters. Majesty blinks, then makes the quick walk to the stage. He knows he should be angry, but the rage doesn't really sink in until he sees his mother weeping.

Lori would never vote for him, not in a million years. Which means his ma did.

And that's why the male tribute for District One had to be sedated to be brought to the Justice Building.

 **I accidentally messed up the tenses at the end there... fixed now!**


End file.
